Challenge: Short Season to Shine the Spotlight
Each year, Washington State farmers produce some of the nation’s most delicious stone fruits, from juicy peaches and nectarines to deep-red cherries and plums. However, the optimal season to enjoy these fruits is narrow, and consumers are often unaware of the peak times to buy fruit. Furthermore, research showed that while many consumers were uneducated in the practice of canning fruits to enjoy them throughout the year, this trend was on the rise, and capitalizing on it could contribute to a rise in late-season fruit purchases.
SERVICES
Public Relations
BRAND
Strategy: Join Forces with Fruit Lovers
Kiterocket created a campaign focused on foodie bloggers and social media influencers, inviting these individuals to be official “CANbassadors.” In exchange for a few fresh-fruit shipments, participants agreed to create canning recipes and showcase their results throughout their online properties, while plugging Washington State–grown stone fruits and driving people to a microsite we created to encourage canning.
Results: Delicious Online Exposure
The CANbassador campaign was a sweet success. The first year we worked with a dozen curated influencers, and the program proved such a hit that it has since has expanded for five years running. In 2016, we worked with 25 bloggers and social media influencers, and we are proactively contacted by many influencers who volunteer to be part of the program. We also expanded the campaign to include both fresh preparation and preservation recipes in order to diversify the content and ensure a variety of strong visuals.
In 2016, we secured more than 300 social media posts from CANbassadors, reaching an audience of 3.2 million. The efforts also resulted in 75 blog posts, reaching an additional 5.5 million food and fruit lovers, which is a 28% year-over-year increase.
The posts by the influencers not only drive awareness and traffic, but also, as a secondary bonus, provide us with a steady drumbeat of content to repurpose across the Fruit Commission’s social platforms. This ensures highly authentic content and stunning imagery while freeing up resources and time for the internal and agency team who would otherwise need to produce the content.
blog and influencer participants
social media posts
Campaign Impressions